Summer of 2013

Wow, it's been a while since we've posted anything. We've been so busy this summer! What have we been doing?

• Chris completed an online course about machine learning.
• We grilled out in our back yard a lot. At one such party, we played a baseball game with Luca, and I think everyone would agree it was a blast. We're so happy to have our own yard!
• Kyra and Luca took a couple of trips to Minnesota to visit Kyra's Grandma ("Grammy").
• My brother, Kenny, and his wife, Joana, announced they are pregnant!
• We had a trip to Door County. We stayed in a cabin, went to lots of restaurants, hiked a bit, played cards, and all sorts of other things. Our friend Nick set up a treasure hunt for Luca one morning, including a treasure map and all!
• Our marriage turned 5! Kyra got a little older, too... : ) So did our foster child. Parties all around!

• Luca took a trip with friends to see Thomas the Tank Engine. He had a lot of fun, and it was his first weekend on a trip without parents or extended family!
• Luca took T-Ball lessons. He's still taking swimming lessons, too.
• Kyra and Chris, along with one of Kyra's coworkers, went to see Delta Rae live in downtown Madison. It was a great concert!
• Chris's cousin Matt got married, and Luca is still talking about it. It was held at a barn converted into an event hall, and Luca had a lot of fun running around with Chris's young cousins.
• Kyra and Chris went to a Mallards game with Kyra's coworkers. We played cards and we're not sure who won the baseball game.

At some point about here, a couple of our friends saved a family from drowning! They heard some thrashing in the pool and realized someone was in trouble. Chanel dove in and pulled out a couple of kids, then realized the father was still in the pool, and pulled him out too. They did CPR until the ambulance arrived. It was amazing!

• Luca attended a birthday party at a pet store. It was fun seeing all the different animals and how excited all the kids were about it. The guide got a gecko out and let it crawl on the kids, including Luca. He wouldn't let the snake near him, though.
• Kyra initiated the "Geeky Cooking Night", where we made all sorts of geeky food, like zombie leg meat (turkey actually), Star Trek tribbles (very tasty), and 1-up mushrooms.
• Marquis, Kyra's dad, got older by some unknown amount, and had a dance party. It was a lot of fun, even with the kids in tow. Luca and Kyra danced for a bit, as well as Chris and Kyra.

• We attended a corn boil for our CSA farm (community supported agriculture). The owners have kids near our age, and it's amazing to see them grow along with our own.
• Luca had another night without parents, when he took a trip to the Twin Cities with Nana. Kyra joined the next day. They had a birthday party and saw Grammy again.
• Kenny and Joana had a baby shower. Unfortunately, one of us was sick that day, so we couldn't make it, but we took them out to dinner a week later.
• We started to do some house fixing projects, including the driveway, plumbing, and insulation. Hopefully we'll be done before we have to turn the heat on full blast!
• Kyra started a training course for foster care that we have to take within 2 years of starting foster care.

Recently, Kyra and Chris had a day off to themselves, no kids! We went out for a leisurely breakfast, went for a walk at Olbrich, and had a late lunch followed by specialty chocolate. It was a glorious day. The first symphony of the season followed two days later. It was a very nice weekend.

What's coming up?

• Luca's birthday is coming up! We're going to have a swim party, so we'll have to figure out something else for all the adults in his life. We'll let everyone know.
• Kenny and Joana are due with their baby anytime now! Looks like another October birthday!
• We have a ton of birthday parties in October... Not sure if we can make it to all of them!
• It's been almost a year since we started foster care.
• We have a Halloween party planned with a formal theme, but in any state of repair. Kyra's going as a zombie, and Chris will be a silent film villain (cape, mustache, and all!).
• Kyra's already planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, with turkey and goose for each, respectively. That should be interesting!

Wow, it's been busy, and it looks like it will slow down a bit.

Stay tuned for photos from all these events!